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Sediment evolution and habitat function of organic-rich muds within the Albemarle estuarine system, North Carolina

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Abstract

The analyses of 248 samples have revealed that the composition and distribution patterns of sediments within the Albemarle estuarine system (AES) represent a complex interaction between multiple sediment sources, basin morphology and evolution, and associated estuarine processes. Three sediment end-member types are dominant: sand, peat, and organic-rich mud (ORM). Throughout the AES, shallow perimeter platforms and associated sediment-bank shorelines are eroded into Pleistocene units. Shoreline recession supplies sand to the platforms and mud to the central basins; these sediments mix with suspended sediment from the fluvial drainages. Swamp forest-peat and marsh-peat shorelines are actively eroding and supply fine organic detritus to produce the dominant ORM sediment in the central basins. Perimeter platform sands grade into ORM on the platform slope. ORM constitutes about 70% of the benthic habitats within the AES and has an average composition of 76.2% inorganic mud, 13.1% sand, and 10.7% organic matter. The characteristics of ORM greatly affect the benthic community structure, chemical quality of the sediments, and the water quality of the estuary. ORM readily moves in and out of the water column in response to natural and anthropogenic activities, affecting water column turbidity and trace and major element geochemistry. Organic matter and clay minerals in ORM are chemically reactive and interact with the water column to adsorb or release contaminants, nutrients, and gases. Thus, ORM acts as both a sink and source for many different chemical constituents in the water column and plays important, but poorly understood, functions in the physical and chemical dynamics of estuarine ecosystems.

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  1. Department of Geology, East Carolina University, 27858, Greenville, North Carolina

    Stanley R. Riggs

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  1. Stanley R. Riggs
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Riggs, S.R. Sediment evolution and habitat function of organic-rich muds within the Albemarle estuarine system, North Carolina. Estuaries 19, 169–185 (1996). https://doi.org/10.2307/1352223

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